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Fremantle stop funding for women’s refuge

THE City of Fremantle will no longer fund the Warrawee Women�s Refuge.

The city released a statement today saying it could no longer subsidise the operation of the local refuge because of �years of funding inequities�.

The decision was made at last week�s council meeting not to apply for more funding from the Department of Child Protection and Family Support, which would force the department to find another provider for the service.

The refuge includes five rooms that can house up to five women and 12 children and last year, 50 women and 59 children used the service, while in 2013 it helped 39 women and 77 children.

Community development director Marisa Spaziani said it was not the preferred outcome.

�If the department was prepared to provide reasonable funding for this critical service, the council and city�s officers would continue to support Warrawee,� she said.

�The city has been subsidising Warrawee for many years and it is with great regret that the City made the difficult decision not to continue as the provider of this important service which for more than 40 years has helped hundreds of women and children escape domestic violence.

�Domestic violence is a community issue that requires support from all levels of government and after intense lobbying and discussion we had hoped the state government would remedy the funding inequities across the sector to assist the City in supporting these types of services.

�Unfortunately this has not happened which has placed an ever increasing financial burden on Fremantle ratepayers.�